Easy to Loom Knit SmallEasy to Loom Knit SmallAnimalsAnimals

Sherralyn St. ClairSherralyn St. Clair

Copyright

Copyright 2015 Sherralyn St. Clair

You may sell or give away as many of the knit animals as you can make by yourself. The animals cannot be mass produced without my permission. You may not give away the instructions for making the animals without my permission.

Version 11/16/15

ISBN-13: 978-1519208538

ISBN-10: 1519208537

Acknowledgements

Backcover: The brunette doll is Emma from the Springfield Collection®..

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book........................................4

How to Knit a Tube.............................................8

How Many Tubes to Knit..................................16

How to Assemble the Animals..........................22

4 Easy to Loom Knit Small Animals

I hope that the animals constructed from the instructions in this book will provide fun and creative play for school age children. The animals in the book can be used as small toys for school age children or as pets for eighteen inch dolls. The tiny dog and cat can be used as pets for small and mini dolls. You may add a steel nut and chenille stick device to the medium yarn cat and puppy and bulky yarn dog so that you can pose them.

A Note on Safety: Do not give these animals to very young children. The animals are constructed with wire chenille sticks, and they contain small parts.

When I began working on my knit animals, I was planning on writing a children's book. However, the animals seem a little complicated for children to make unless they have adult help. Also I think that children should have adult supervision when they use wire cutters to cut chenille sticks. I have tried to write clear, understandable instructions, but the instructions are not directed at school age children. This book is written for an adult or an adult working with a school age child.

The instructions in the book are divided into three sections.

Because the animals in this book are constructed from a series of knitted tubes, the first section explains how to knit a tube.

The second section tells you how many tubes of each size that you will need to construct each animal. It is arranged by the yarn size used for each set of animals. This section also lists the other supplies that you will need for each animal.

The third section explains the assembly techniques used for the animals.

You should look over the entire book before beginning a project.

How to Use This Book

Easy to Loom Knit Small Animals 5

Equipment

The spool knitter with a five peg end and an eight peg end is used to make all the animals in the book. You will also need the knitting tool that comes with the knitter.

The twelve peg flower loom knitter is also used to make all the animals in the book except the tiny dog and cat. You will again need the knitting tool that comes with the knitter.

I used Kniffy Knitter® and Boye® versions of both knitters. There are other versions of these knitting looms available as well.

Wire cutters andscissors

Optional stitchcounter andstitch markers

Plastic yarnneedles and ayarn needlethreader

8 Easy to Loom Knit Small Animals

How to Knit a Tube

Before Casting-on

The animals in this book are constructed from a series of knitted tubes. I have written this “Howto Knit a Tube” section for the complete beginner. If you are an experienced loom knitter, you might want to glance through this section anyway to see if I do anything differently from your usual techniques.

What is a Knitted Tube?

Because you are knitting in a complete circle, you are knitting a tube of knit fabric. All the projects in this book will begin with knitted tubes.

Clockwise

The pictures in this book will show casting-on and knitting in a clockwise direction, but you can knit counterclockwise, if you prefer.

What is Casting-On?Setting up your knitting loom with your yarn so that you can knit is called casting-on.

16 Easy to Loom Knit Small Animals

How Many Tubes to Knit

This section of the book will tell you how many tubes you need to knit to make each animal. Thesection contains three subsections: Medium Yarn (4), Fine Yarn (3), and Bulky Yarn (5). Each subsection is arranged by the yarn size you need to make that group of animals. You can find the yarn size on the label of a skein of yarn.

At the beginning of each subsection you will find a list of other supplies needed to make each animal.

Knit all tubes needed for an animal before going to the construction section.

For the five peg loom, use the five peg side of the spool knitter.

For the eight peg loom, use the eight peg side of the spool knitter.

Medium Yarn (4) Animal Instructions

All animals in the Medium Yarn section will use size 4 (medium) yarn. Additional supplies: stuffing, chenille sticks, ¼" (6 mm) steel nut, 7 mm wiggle eyes, felt for ears and nose, and optional embroidery thread for the medium cat's mouth and whiskers.

Gently stretch each tube in the medium yarn section to make it longer and make the knitting stitches closer together.

22 Easy to Loom Knit Small Animals

How to Assemble the Animals

Stuff head lightly with polyester stuffing. Do not stretch the tube too much with the stuffing. To close the head, thread a plastic needle with the long yarn end of the knit tube. Sew the opening closed. Make the head round with the stuffing.

Gather the yarn until you have closed the opening.

When you have knitted all the tubes that you need to construct an animal, it is time to stuff and assemble it.

The instructions in this section will explain: stuffing knit tubes with polyester stuffing, stuffing leg tubes with chenille sticks, adding a steel nut to a chenille stick before stuffing the leg, adding a face to the stuffed head tube, and sewing the tubes together using the over-casting stitch. The instructions will explain any differences in construction for specific animals.

Stuffing the Head and Body